Oops. Somehow I managed to miss recording our annual Big Country trip last year! Katie noticed when we were departing on the 2018 trip.

So memories are not as fresh as they should be, but here it goes.

The goal of the annual Big Country trip is to go to a place where none of us have ever been.

We've been up to northern Indiana, and Mom had spent some time on Lake Michigan, but there are a number of quaint lake towns on the east side of Michigan that needed to be explored. After receiving input from a number of Hoosiers that summer that direction, we choose South Haven, MI and headed north.

We arrived that first afternoon to find our VBRO was perfect. It was right by the canal with a second floor view.

That evening we walked the boardwalk to see the sunset on the lake

Followed by outstanding ice cream at Captain Nemos!

When packing for the trip we decided we should relive part of our year long adventure - the part where Dad loads 5 bikes onto the 4 bike rack with dozens of straps and ropes. It's an ugly puzzle, but when we unloaded them the next morning and departed on a 10 mile bike ride, all was good.

After the bike ride, we hit the water. We rented a boat to take out in the lake. It was a bike nerve racking as the boat was very similar to what Dad grew up on in Minnesota, except the lake Michigan waves are about 10x those of lake Sylvia. Luckily, after we made it out of the channel, the waters started to calm.

The weather was cool and the water was COLD. We tried some fishing, but with no luck, Katie took up the challenge (part way) to test out the waters.

The next morning we had reserved a charter on the Red Barron. The captain asked us to be there at O'dark thirty.....and unfortunately, he overslept and his first mate took a number of calls before he finally arrived, frazzled and apologetic. The captains wife also arrived around the same time as the backup. The trip started rough, and ended rough with JAK and Katie both getting sea sick, but the middle was beautiful and brought in 4 keeper lake trout!

Sadly, JAK combined his sea sickness with a very bad headache that afternoon and ended up staying to rest while we headed to the beach.

The next morning it was time to head home, but there was one final surprise stop on the way home - ATV riding at KJG!